The invention relates to an apparatus for use in an industrial process in which for communicating data and control signals it is connectable to a central control unit via a bus. The invention relates furthermore to a plant including such apparatuses as well as to a method for simulating such a plant.
Nowadays, complex processes and process sequences, e.g. in operating a large industrial plant are automated. Usually, in any such plant very many apparatuses, for instance sensors, actors, valves, pumps and the like are connected via a bus to a central control unit (PC or process control system) which controls the apparatuses. In this respect one point essential for the safety and reliable functioning of the plant is the behaviour of each and every apparatus and how each interacts with the other. It is currently usual to prepare a specification for each apparatus, which is loaded into the central control unit to inform it as to the functionality and parameters of the apparatus. However, this specification is incomplete and not suitable to provide the central control unit with a comprehensive mimic image of the apparatus concerned. Plants in which apparatuses are used for which these incomplete apparatus specifications exist as loaded into the central control unit can thus be tested only on-line and also the overall behaviour of the plant resulting from how the individual apparatuses interact can only be tested and analyzed with the apparatuses on-line.